Chasing Shadows
by AsianNameless
Summary: Upon the death of the 3rd, Danzou rose to power. Naruto has now turned 21, but has noticed some strange, DARK things about himself. After learning of his new powers, what will Naruto DO? With it, he can either end a maniacal tyrant's reign, or maybe even BECOME a tyrant himself. His destiny, good or bad, would be one of greatness. Epic Length! NaruxIno
1. Chapter 1 - Shadow of a Friend

**Author's note: **

Hey guys, AsianNameless here with a new story! This one has been in the works for quite a few years now, and am excited to share it with you guys. It is technically a crossover with The Darkness, but is AU enough to be considered as a regular Naruto story, as it takes place in the Elemental Nations. You guys may recognize me from the now on-hiatus The Duty of a Hunter. The reason why I have left it alone for so long is because I am currently on the process of completely changing some of the main aspects of the story. Some of the changes may include important plot devices. Don't give up on it, as I will now be creating and _changing_ content as well, so keep an eye out for it! I also recognize that TDoaH's chapters are poorly written, and because of that I'm focusing on improving the writing before adding new chapters/content. Since my last story, I've been minoring in English at college, so I promise that I will do an even better job at putting out content with better quality. Without further adieu, enjoy!

* * *

"My fellow friends and partners." A deep, regal voice declared in an umbrous room. The voice came from an old, withered throat. From a man who'd seen powers rise and fall like waves, whose life comprised of fire and steel. His words were practised, snaking out from his wrinkled mouth and sweeping across the hollow room in a flood of bewitchment. But the man who owned the voice was not alone. Ten ghostly figures sat around him in a circular, metal table, awaiting his next words. He eyed each wraith from his chair.

"This great empire that we've built over the course of a few short years has truly expanded faster than we ever thought possible. It's because of our efforts that Fire Country has become the most powerful country among the nations." He waited once more while his generals clapped politely. Their ghostly rapping drowned his sanguine laughter.

"However, much is still to be done. We have yet to cement our grasp upon these dying nations. Our enemies seek to destroy us in every front, and our enemies' blades poise our throats even inside our very walls! As you all know, we have traitors in our midst." Then he stood, bellowing, "They mock us, rebel against us. They gather silently in houses and cause chaos in the streets. They think their selves lords. They question our ways. I ask you, who is your lord?"

"Lord Danzou!" Ten voices chanted.

"And what is the punishment for treason?"

"Death!" Most of the shaded figures stood up from their seats.

Danzou sat back down and waited until his ethereal guests seated as well.

He coughed. "Good, good. We have achieved success not because of our power, but because of our ways. Our laws. See to it that all who oppose my rule are _removed_. This empire that we've built over the short span five years, this empire that we've built on the blood of our enemies, will _not_ have any weaknesses in _any_ front. This empire, which we've cemented as the greatest, will not have any blemishes, any chinks in its armor. Have your most trusted men sweep through every stronghold, every building under our domain so that we may destroy the rebels once and for all!"

Each of the ten men and women saluted and disappeared from Danzou's dark room without a trace, blinking away as if they were a figment of his thoughts.

All except one, who had remained quiet all throughout the meeting. He was the only one among them who did not chant, did not applaud, did not stand.

He quietly floated around the table to Danzou's side and kneeled. The lord Hokage didn't shift to meet his subordinate's gaze, but continued to stare ahead in contemplation.

"Do you have the report that I asked for, Kabuto?"

"Yes, Lord Danzou." The grey-haired jounin, whose ghostly visage was wrapped with black, ROOT vestments, stood up and blankly looked at his ruthless lord's decrepit hand. "I am happy to report that-"

"You are what, Kabuto?" Danzou's eyebrow raised in discontentment.

"I am... Pleased to report that we have successfully taken Star village, the country of Wave, and the country of Snow in one fell swoop. None of the countries and villages has showed us signs of diplomacy or submission. Our forces invaded each point yesterday at twilight and the battles stopped momentarily for rest this morning. We allowed enemy forces in all fronts to collect their dead, only to fall for our traps, which decimated through additional forces."

"Good. And our research and development teams?"

"It is going well, Lord Danzou. Our scientists in Sound Country thank you for the generous amount of supplies you have sent despite our growing needs due to the war effort."

"There is plenty to go around." Danzou nodded. "However, I want to know specifically how well the project I tasked you in is going along."

"Project Fox Hunt is making leaps and bounds, my lord. We have tracked his presence three months into his disappearance since his escape four months ago. It appears his skills have been dulled for his presence to be so easily traceable."

"Or he is purposely letting you find him. Have you found out his motives? Do you see him as a threat to my empire?"

"Possibly, my lord." Kabuto's furrowed brows betrayed the stoic facade that ROOT assimilated into him. "The fox's presence has been displaced throughout every country across the nations. His presence has even disappeared completely from the nations twice within this month. Our best sensors cannot track his movements completely, possibly due to a time-space technique. But the fact that we have finally caught sight of him is definitely a step forward. In every area that we believed him to be, we found large craters in the ground. Almost as if he'd been training."

"As if he'd been preparing." Danzou concluded. "Well done, Kabuto. Do you have any pictures of these craters?"

"I do, my lord."

Kabuto made a sign and, despite his intangibility, summoned a folder full of notes and paper. He handed the papers to Danzou who scanned through it, skimming through pictures of craters that made titanic dents in the earth's surface.

While his lord, his master, was reading he spoke. "All the craters are two leagues in diameter, one league in depth. My scientists speculate it has all been done with the same technique, though we do not know what the technique is. We do know that this particular technique is impossible to simulate. Our tests indicate that, at a molecular level, none of the craters were caused by any element. Nor were they chakra-induced. I tasked the research team in Snow Country to recreate the devastation using explosive seals and other ballistics."

When the elderly warlord cast him a questioning stare, the young man replied, "No success."

The papers fell through Danzou's fingers like sand and landed weightlessly on the floor. "That is not possible..."

"It is, my lord. The last time our forces interacted with the fox, the last time we analyzed the battlefield after his battle - The effects are the exact same as they are in these craters. Whatever power the fox used to descimate our forces four months ago is the very same power he has been training. Regardless if this power came from him or from another hostile party. We believe that he is planning to use these powers against you and your forces, my lord."

Danzou frowned, his skin pale and glistening in sweat. "I will not let that happen. _You_ will not let that happen."

"Yes, sir." Kabuto picked up the papers and summoned them away.

"What can you tell me about his powers?"

"We do not yet know if they're his powers. But we have found that, whatever they are, they are similar to that of the Nara clan's jutsus. No sign of wildlife anywhere near the craters, as well, almost as if it were the aftermath of a natural disaster. These powers, with their magnitude, can level even mountains, my lord."

Danzou snaked his fingers together in thought, a sobered look on his face. He spoke when he made his decision. "That is all, Kabuto. Dig into our database and see if these powers match with, or at least are related to, anyone in the elemental countries. Not just ninjas. Citizens and clans, as well. Assemble the specialized forces to keep a look out for the fox. Ensure that any of the Empire's ninjas, who are rank jounin and below, are reminded of the correct procedure should they encounter the fox and these new powers."

"You mean_ run_, sir?"

The distressed warlord did not motion a reply. When Kabuto dissipated, Danzou stood up from his throne and made a sign with his single usable hand. Immediately, torches that hugged the far corners lit aflame, billowing mutinously against the darkness - but to no avail. After staring at the flames for a few seconds, he lifted the privacy seals and walked out of the council room, towards his office. For the first time in the five years that he'd attained the mantle of Hokage, he had no answers. As he exited the room, he noticed one of the torches snuff out, but paid it no heed.

* * *

A lone man stalked up the side of a hill in Sound country. Camouflage hugged his skin while he trekked low and hugged the countryside's unkempt flora. Strapped to his back was a package, wrapped in black velvet, the shape and the size of a thin door. It was oiled to prevent moisture and flora from sticking and giving away his position. He crept like a beetle towards dense foliage, his icy eyes boring into the treeline far ahead, to avoid sudden exposure. The trees were blackened and smelled of rot due. The grass was patchy due to the toxicity levels in the ground. And the man knew why.

On the other side of the tall hill, just west of his position, was a Root fortress. The intruder noticed that the sky above him was filled with a dense, dark smog that threatened to consume the horizon. He sneered in disgust, his cold, grey eyes transfixed on the equally grey buildings. With the sun sinking just behind him, he knew that he had just a sliver of a chance to use the sun's harsh glare to bypass patrols and successfully infiltrate the black fortress. He waited in the hill until the sun dipped low enough to kiss the horizon behind him to make his play. But before he could even reach the treeline, he spotted a figure ahead him, retreating past the peak of the hill towards the black fortress.

He unbuckled the clasps that held the package to his back and let it hit the ground in a loud clang, knowing quite well that the sound might have alerted the patroller that he was chasing. But he didn't care. He was already exposed. As soon as the package dropped completely off his back, he vanished.

The scout spotted the man at the same time the man spotted him. They were a quarter mile apart, but, judging by the intruder's speed and gait, he was much faster than him. A fully trained scout.

He felt the man's chakra blaze out in a wave of heat, threatening to burn his lungs inside out. Procedure dictated him to run back to the facility, and so he did. As he neared the peak of the grassy hill, he looked back to identify the man, but he didn't see him. The intruder was nowhere to be found. The patroller turned his head back towards the ROOT facility, but his head met the hard end of the intruder's palm instead.

The intruder soundlessly kneed the scout in the stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs. The man in camouflage quickly jabbed a fist filled with wind chakra - the dense vapour flowing wildly between his fingers - and knocked the scout out cold. He peered down the hill and found the facility, a building formerly belonging to Orochimaru, but had changed tenants once Danzou became the Hokage.

After dragging the scout's body back towards the ruined foliage, he took the scout's clothes and wore it on top of his own. As he finished placing the ROOT vest over his chest, he made his way back towards the facility, ignoring the black, tiny hands that dragged the scout's naked body deeper into the thick brush. He left the package beside the body. He'd be back later. The intruder ignored again the tiny vile chattering that surrounded the knocked out body of the scout, hungry for the man's flesh.

The man spotted a chink in the facility's patrol and dove behind a shed adjacent to a wall that was not surveyed. A blind spot. He meticulously produced just enough chakra to bore a small hole in the wall of the facility. Small sparks flew as wind chakra met a foot-thick steal alloy wall. The process took nearly an hour before the intruder found himself inside a narrow corridor, lit only by a single floodlight. He patched up the wall with small genjutsu before making his way into the deepest recesses of the black site.

The man moved like a shadow in the hallways of the ROOT facility, familiar with the building's layout. Under Orochimaru's rule, the research facility was a single building, built underground to suit the great snake's needs. The new facility, under the young ROOT Empire's rule, was built up as well as down. The tunnels, whose walls were previously made of dense stone, became modernized; New, metallic hallways ran down the ground until it reached the large aquifer that Sound country sat on, supplying the entire facility with fresh, clean water. Those tunnels were the service tunnels where most of the security forces were. His destination was up, where the laboratories would be.

The intruder disguised in ROOT clothing scoured the ground level looking for stairs, but found none. He heard footsteps behind him. They were quiet and calculated, so he knew he needed to lose them. Just as he was about to make the corner, he heard someone yell for him to stop. He did.

"Turn and face me, operative." A smooth voice demanded stoically. The intruder complied. The voice came from a tall, elegant woman, garbed in a white lab coat. She wore her hair in a tight ponytail and her face was framed with thin, square-framed glasses. "Why are you wandering these halls when you should be below or outside patrolling?"

"I'm going up to do a medical. One of the researchers said I might have suffered after-affects from a drug they dosed me with." He lied.

"Which researcher?" The woman threw her black locks over her shoulder, sizing up the man for falsehood.

The man paused a moment before answering. "Kabuto."

She whistled. "I'm assuming you're new. Fresh from Konoha."

"Yes."

"I'll escort. Get you tested, myself."

She grabbed him by the sleeve of his elbow and dragged him around the corner. She rounded towards the first door to their left and touched a metal panel on the wall beside the door. The panel shifted and revealed a hidden keypad. She then tapped on numbers on the keypad, still holding onto his arm. After a few seconds the door made a hitching noise before it was unlocked. The door led to a spiral staircase that led both downstairs and upstairs.

The man waited for the door to close and lock itself before grabbing onto the arm that she dragged him by without. He locked her arm by holding on her triceps, placing her forearm on his shoulder, so that she couldn't turn around to strike him. He rammed her face into a nearby wall causing her glasses to fall to her feet. Her ebony locks spilled out of her ponytail and veiled her face like a waterfall. She tried kicking him but he sliced a tendon using his wind chakra. The numbness forced her to calm down.

"What do you want?" She questioned with a slight tone of betrayal, her eyes like a cornered animal's.

"The Landshark."

"What?"

"The Landshark." He repeated. "Where is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He knew she was lying.

"Tell me or I'll slice up the rest of your body!"

"Go ahead. The cameras have seen your face. Lord Danzou will find you."

"He's already trying." He summoned a small, spinning ball of wind chakra at his fingertip. He pressed it behind her kneecap, shredding it. She tried to scream, but he covered her mouth with his other hand. "He won't succeed. The cameras are taken care of. According to men monitoring the cameras, I'm just a shadow."

The woman screamed into his hand, trying to land a dirty blow on the intruder.

"Just so you know," he pressed his lips next to her ears and gripped her mouth even tighter, "I can do the same technique with my other hand, so don't try to bite it. Do you know what I just did to your leg? I'll try to speak more your language: My wind chakra, at a cellular level, ruptured each and every tissue cell, muscle cell, nerve cell, and skeletal cell adjacent to the point of trauma. You won't be able to use that leg again. Knowing you scientists, you'll probably just operate on it and attach a prosthetic limb. But I can do the same thing with the rest of your body. If you don't answer me, you won't be able to serve Danzou anymore. You'll no longer be his tool."

After a long hesitation, she answered. "Fine. Project Landshark is being kept downstairs."

"Liar." He applied more pressure to his arm lock, her isolated muscles tugged at her spine like strings.

"Okay! It is being kept upstairs!"

"I know that. You're going to lead me to it."

"How? You tore my kneecap!"

He chuckled darkly. "I lied. I have complete control of my powers. It'll only hurt like hell if you walk. However, if you make a move or sound, I'll kill you."

He had enough confidence in his abilities, and a quick analysis of hers, to let her lean on his shoulders as she painfully lead him up the stairs. After several flights, they reached the tenth, top floor.

"We're here." She gasped out in pain, tears and sweat streaming down her angular face.

"Good." He said before chopping the back of her neck with the blade of his hand. He caught her just before she could slump down and fall down the ten flights of stairs that they'd just climbed. He dragged her to a dark corner. He touched the edge of the shadow with his fingertips and slowly pulled on it like a blanket, making the shadow expand until it was roughly the size of the woman before he stuffed her inside and closed it. He looked towards the door and found a metal panel which, presumably, covered a panel similar to the one that the woman unlocked for him. He still remembered the sequence of numbers that she entered.

He ignored, once again, the sounds of chattering teeth and vile laughter as he made his way to the terminal. He entered the sequence and heard a familiar hitching sound that indicated the door was unlocked. But before he could open it, he noticed that the knob was turning. Someone was about to open it.

He cursed to himself. He should've taken the woman's lab coat. He quickly stepped behind the door. Once the door opened by about a foot, he tackled it, knocking back whoever tried to come out.

The scientist who'd been knocked back recovered quickly and kicked open the door to reveal whatever asshole knocked him back.

"Who's there!" He demanded.

No one.

Perplexed, the scientist's ninja instincts told him to avoid the stairwell and find help. He knew that the intruder was probably still in the stairwell, so he closed the door and typed the locking sequence that would prevent anyone from entering the level. A loud, metallic boom signalled that the heavy, steel door was locked. He turned around and sprinted towards his office, past a hallway adorned with low, neat shelves full of test tubes, beakers, and notebooks. He ran towards the end of the hallway, reaching a similar steel door leading towards the testing lab. He closed it from the other side and locked it with the same locking sequence. His eyes darted around the room - from the lab benches containing human specimens, to large tubs of drugs that seemed to have gathered dust over the few years that the lab was built. His eyes finally reached his office, at the other end of the room. He immediately darted towards it.

Once he reached his office, he locked the doors there too. Wherever the intruder was he was either in the stairs or in the bottom floors. There was no way that the intruder could have reached him, or his precious research, with three locked steel doors between them.

As his mind calmed, he closed the gap between him and his desk and reached underneath until he felt a button. He pressed it. All of the sudden, a siren in the middle of the roof wailed and beams of yellow, cautionary light tumbled around the room in circles. He reached further under his desk and grabbed a standard Chokuto blade and pulled it from its straps. Fully armed, he awaited confrontation.

And it came to him in a laugh. "You're not 'gonna need that." Said a voice.

"Who's there?"

"Me. Your shadow." Said the voice, amused.

"Liar! You're the man who knocked me away from the door!" He looked around but all he could see was his room, filled with the glare of emergency lights. All he could hear was the crying of the siren and the disembodied voice's laughter. "Where are you?"

"Look down."

He did so, but found only his shadow. However, it had begun to grow until it was roughly the same height as him. And, like a vision from his nightmare, a man's leg stepped out, followed by a body clothed in a ROOT uniform. But before the scientist could question the intruder, a shadowy tendril snaked out of the man's back and struck the emergency lights, engulfing the room in total darkness. The wailing of the siren ceased.

The scientist felt a tendril wrap around his neck and slam him towards the ceiling. He was able to breathe, thankfully, but the tendril of darkness immobilized him. He focused his chakra to his eyes to get a good look at the intruder's face. A strong jaw. Dark, spiky hair. Eyes so grey that it resembled smoke.

"W-who are you?" The scientist struggled. "What do you want?"

The intruder ignored him. "The Landshark. It doesn't seem to be here, but I know you know where it is. A woman lied to me, saying it was here. She probably thought she was leading me to a trap. If the trap she tried to set on me was you, then I am greatly disappointed."

The intruder's eyes were fixed on the scientist, cold as the moon.

"Hakatsu? What did you do to her?"

"Answer my question: Where is Project Landshark?"

"You'll never find it! The rest of the ROOT forces will be up here!"

"No they won't. At least, not for a while. You locked us in, remember? Three times."

The intruder summoned a black portal and reached an arm inside. He pulled out the unconscious woman, Hakatsu, before the portal closed once more. Blood stained her shoulder as it appeared that some sort of animal attempted to gnaw at it. "Tell you what. If you relinquish me the place where the Landshark is kept, I might not kill her."

"Kill her, then." The scientist shouted coldly. "She won't die in vain, unlike you."

"What?"

"Look around."

The intruder looked past the windows of the scientist's office and into the laboratory. He saw ROOT ninjas seep through the locked metal door, through the floor, through the ceilings and the walls. The ROOT agents were entering the lab and were heading towards the office. They were quickly surrounded. Within moments, they were already conjuring high-caliber jutsus to blast open the steel door.

"You're going to die." Laughed the scientist.

"Not before them." The man whispered.

Tendrils of darkness erupted from his back and from the very shadows of the office. He pointed an open palm towards the laboratory, making the shadowy projections pierce through the shatterproof windows of the scientist's office and strike all the lights that kept the entire floor lit. Within seconds, there was complete darkness.

"What are you doing?" Asked the scientist, fear evident in his voice despite his ROOT training.

"I'm not doing anything. They are." Knowing that the scientist was focusing chakra to see in the dark, the intruder pointed toward the laboratory.

Tiny, yellow eyes filled the room. And soon, sounds of crying, yelling, and ripping flesh did as well. The scientist was too shocked to focus; but he could hear, on the other side of the wall, numerous creatures tearing apart his backup. Tearing apart ROOT's elite.

"I repeat: Where is the Landshark?" He tightened his tendril's hold on the scientist's stomach. "I can save all these men and women. Just tell me where it is."

"E-east!" The scientist yelled. "The east base. The eastern ROOT facility here in Sound country."

"How far is it?"

"A day away. You have what you came for. Leave!"

The intruder nodded and dropped the snivelling scientist. The scientist closed his eyes, sensing that he was either going to get knocked out or killed. However, the pain didn't come.

When he opened his eyes, the lights in the entire level were lit up again. The creatures with the yellow eyes were gone, and so were the ROOT ninjas. And so were the shadows. The scientist looked around and found the siren lights still spinning around the room, the glass on his shatterproof windows still intact. He searched the room for the intruder, but he was gone as well. It was as if the intruder was never there.

"An illusion? No, Hakatsu is still here..." He saw her rigid form splayed on the cold floor, bloody and shallowly breathing. "And it didn't feel like a genjutsu or a bloodline technique..."

**B-O-O-M!**

The heavy, steel door leading from the hallway into the laboratory shattered in an explosion. A full platoon of ROOT soldiers entered the lab and then the office, as the scientist unlocked the final door that led to his office. The scientist managed to walk towards his desk, while clutching his stomach in pain, and reversed the emergency lights and siren.

"What is the problem?" A ROOT captain bowed before the scientist.

The scientist was visibly shaken. "There was an intruder. He extracted information from me about the whereabouts of the Landshark. Have someone teleport to lord Danzou to report that the western ROOT facilities have been compromised. Then, have someone teleport to the east research facility to warn them that an intruder is on his way to the Landshark. Send everyone we have to intercept him. Now!"

"Sir, the troops will be on their way. But, we only have enough chakra to teleport a single person today. Where should we connect the teleporter to?"

"The east research facility. Send our fastest messenger operative to lord Danzou. Protecting Project Landshark is our highest priority!"

"Yes, sir." The captain stood and disappeared in smoke, as did all the others, leaving the lone scientist behind. He took Hakatsu's unconscious form - a testament of the intruder's presence - and laid her on his table. He rotated a set of dials, and suddenly a cold array of lights washed over her.

The scientist clicked on a recording device and said aloud, "Fox has breached the laboratory, as forewarned by operative, Kabuto. I've lead him to a trap set up in the eastern ROOT facility which holds project Landshark. I've failed my intended mission of analyzing the source of fox's powers. They are neither chakra, nor natural energy-based. I have recovered Hakatsu's unconscious body with the hopes identifying fox's true power. However, the failure of my mission is punishable only by death," He muttered solemnly before producing a vial filled with a black substance and drinking it. His body shook as his throat met the putrid substance.

He continued. "It is my wish that Hakatsu recovers and that the next head of research discovers the source of fox's powers before it destroys lord Danzou's empire."

"Something dark is approaching us." He shakily said to the beautiful woman's unconscious form. "Something evil. And we're all to pay."

The man slowly fell to the floor as black liquid dripped from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Quietly, he died.

* * *

The man discarded the ROOT garments, revealing once again his camouflage suit. He'd gone back and retrieved the package wrapped in black velvet and strapped it on his back before heading east. He had noticed the body of the scout that he'd knocked out, reduced to a skeleton. He rolled his cold, grey eyes in disgust.

He was in the polluted forests of Sound country, now on his way to the Landshark. He didn't have much to go on other than the facility's name: The east research facility. Going on just that, he'd been travelling east now for two and a half days without rest. He didn't find any hint of a lie in the scientist's voice or his eyes, which unsettled him, as he still hadn't reached the facility. As he jumped from tree to tree, he felt a chakra signature behind him. A familiar one.

He stopped in his tracks and plummeted to the ground, face first. He spread his arms forward and rolled into a landing. He stood, turned around and yelled, "Why are _you_ here?"

A shadow emerged from the ground, growing until it formed the Nara clan leader. He looked at his former friend in the eye - despite the growing feeling of disgust that welled up in his stomach - out of respect. "That isn't something you say to an old acquaintance, you know."

Shikamaru walked towards the man, a cigarette smoldering in his mouth. He wore a fishnet shirt and an aloof expression. But, those were the only things about himself that he kept. The man noticed that Shikamaru let his hair down now, windswept to the sides. The Nara clan leader wore a grey utility vest and a black pair of cargo pants with brown combat boots. The man also noticed that the clan leader had a wedding band. Black, onyx-made.

Before the man could move or talk, Shikamaru spoke, mostly to himself, aloud. "You've changed so much. No, not since I last saw you - The last time I saw you was four months ago, back when you still worked for that pig, Danzou. I'm talking about how much you've changed since the time when I tried to help you rescue Sasuke from Orochimaru. From the time you rescued Konoha from Pein. From the time when Danzou brought Sasuke back from Akatsuki. You've changed so much since then... Naruto."

"You don't know you're talking about."

"Asshole." Shikamaru frowned. "I know it's you, Naruto. I know what ROOT did to you, what they trained you to become. Your hair is different, your eyes are different, and so is your facial structure. They made you into a chameleon. Even though I didn't see your face directly during that day four months ago, I knew it was you, I knew that they changed what you looked like. Changed who you are."

"How did you know it was me?" Naruto wondered.

"Because they did the same to me, you dumbass. Because no one else has the strength you do. I know you lead the team that killed my father, Naruto. And I know that you're the one who infiltrating the western ROOT research facility, just three days ago."

Naruto poised his hands towards Shikamaru's throat, his fingers laced with wind chakra. But the Nara didn't flinch.

"I have my informants." Shikamaru answered the silent question. "But you already know about that, don't you?"

"Why are you telling me this? What do you want?" Naruto eyed his former comrade with cold fury, his cloudy orbs staring into Shikamaru's own, threatening the Nara to choose his words carefully.

It was then that Shikamaru walked towards the brown-haired ninja, sucked deeply into his cigarette and grabbed him by the collar of his camouflage suit and slammed him into the tree. He then exhaled, blowing imposing clouds into the rogue ninja's face. The entire time, Naruto didn't break eye contact.

"You see, this is what I hate about you, Naruto. You fought for the wrong side for five long years, and after finding out you were wrong, you don't apologize! Even when you kill my father. Even when you killed Hinata."

"So why don't you kill me." Naruto muttered coldly. He easily broke off the Nara's grip with a slap of his hand. "What's stopping you?"

Shikamaru eyed his old friend hard, his nostrils flaring in resentment. The embers of his smoke quickly receded and landed on the polluted ground like tiny meteors. He looked away and chuckled bitterly while lighting himself another drag. "'Cos I'm still your 'fuckin friend, moron. Look. We both know that I want you dead. But that would make Danzou's life much easier. We both want to take him down, so why not become allies once again?"

"Touching offer. But I refuse."

"Bullshit. I know you want in, you're just too damn ashamed to join us."

"That's a lie-"

"No, a lie is you saying you didn't kill my father."

"How did you..."

"I saw the fucking reports!" Shikamaru exclaimed. "I saw them! And I saw you doing it with my own eyes, Naruto. A lie is saying that you didn't kill Hinata when all evidence points that you did. That speaks volumes of how much you've degraded into a pig just like Danzou. But if there's any trace of guilt in that dumb head of yours, if there's any part of you that wants redemption, you'll join me. You'll join the Resistance."

"What makes you think I want to join you?" Naruto shifted away from Shikamaru, who was now trying to get himself together. "Or your little club?"

"I know where you're headed and I know what you're after. I also know what the hell is strapped to your back. And I also know how dangerous the road ahead is for you. Only an idiot like you wouldn't accept my offer. Now tell me, are you still an idiot, or have you truly changed?"

Naruto waited a long time. He stared at Shikamaru, who defaulted on trying to keep his cigarette lit from Naruto's wind chakra. However, before he could make his decision, he sensed chakra signatures. Hundreds of them. "We have company. Did you set me up?"

It was then that Shikamaru noticed them too. His eyes widened. "Shit, of course not. They're after you."

A drop of sweat streamed down his cheek bone before looking back at Naruto. "What do you have planned?"

"I'm not big on plans, remember? I suppose I'll fight them. You?" Naruto's wind chakra extended from his fingers like claws, invisible daggers carving the very air itself. Shikamaru had to brace himself from the sheer density of chakra from Naruto's technique, as the air-devouring claws made the air immensely shallower.

"Does it look like I could take on a couple hundred ROOT elites?" Shikamaru armed himself with Asuna's chakra blades and charged it with shadow chakra - Long, ebony tendrils emerged from the fine blades, coiling in the air like vipers.

"Well, you're going to have to try."

"Troublesome."

"At least _you_ haven't changed."

"Whatever."

Naruto waited until he saw them. Through his sage eyes. He felt each of their presences. There was no anger or malice. No emotion, only focus. He'd been like that once before, when he'd worked for them. "So, who's the unlucky girl?"

"Like I'll tell you." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, his shadow blades fixed at a high, defensive stance.

The first sign of attack they received was a flogging of kunai. Hundreds of blades raining on them from above, so much that the sheer quantity blotted out the sun like a cloud - which was just what Naruto wanted. With a single wave of his hand, a dark dome-shaped shield swept over them from the shadows, protecting them from wave after wave of kunai. Shikamaru looked at his former friend as if he'd been robbed, while the taller man set the velvet package down against a nearby tree.

"Just what exactly did you do to piss them off?" Shikamaru yelled in between bombardments.

"I only mind-fucked their leader." Naruto said as he looked off to the side.

"Only? Did you at least get his number first?" The Nara joked, an incredulous expression plastered on his face, wondering what his friend had meant.

Naruto ignored the Nara, who he knew was far more interested in his powers than his own plight. When the bombardments were over, Naruto looked towards the sky and cursed. There were still some hints of sunlight. He sighed, focusing his chakra to maintain a balance with his surroundings.

"I'll take care of this." Naruto waved for Shikamaru to stay back.

"Fuck that. When have I ever left you behind?" Shikamaru's question remained unanswered.

With one hand, Naruto summoned a rasenshuriken, its spinning blades cutting through the air like butter and reverberating like thunder. He throttled it in front of him, using its rotating saws as a shield to block several wind and fire jutsus. The result caused the shuriken to grow in size, yet becoming even harder to control. However, he pumped even more nature chakra to gain stability. He threw the shuriken towards the hidden ROOT soldiers, sawing through trees along the way. The rasenshuriken's blades moaned as it exploded; wind rushing outward, nearly lifting Shikamaru from his feet. A harmony of screams could be heard as the monstrous technique took out dozens of elite soldiers.

"You'd have to do better than that," said Shikamaru, who decided to stand next to Naruto.

"Changed your mind about fighting?"

The Nara rolled his eyes in a frown, "Tell that to my wife."

"Any chance you'd tell me who she is?" Naruto queried while keeping his eyes on the sky and in the trees.

"Not unless you join me."

Shikamaru made a hand sign, black beginning to engulf his eyes. He, too, reached perfect clarity. "So that's where they've been hiding?"

Hearing noises from the trees above, Naruto offered, "Like the old days, huh?"

Shikamaru didn't answer as he'd already darted off, and so did Naruto, both brandishing their weapons.

Naruto immediately jumped into the thick canopy, meeting dozens of soldiers who began surrounded them. The first ROOT agent met Naruto's hard fist, a hard crunch audible throughout the kunai-ridden battlefield. Naruto jumped from tree-to-tree, parrying and countering plenty of close-range techniques sent his way. An ice-infused fist went through his guard and plunged into his lung. Within a moment, the entire branch that he and his pursuers stood on exploded in a cloud of flame. All of the sudden, dozens of copies of Naruto's riddled the decaying canopy, each clone grunting out techniques of their own.

The Nara held his own, as well, immobilizing and killing a group of ten with a single "Ninja art: Shadow Weaving" as swaths of shadowy claws erupted from the shadows of the rotting foliage, then pinning and burying the surrounding ninjas in the ground. Gallons of blood erupted around the two shadow-wielding shinobi, painting the blackened ground red like an artist's palette.

Suddenly, a trio of burly men erupted from the ground with great speed, attempting to catch the Nara off-guard as he was busy maintaining a hand seal.

Naruto cursed, "Wind release: Rasenshield!"

A cloud of smoke escaped the side of Shikamaru's shoulder, a clone appearing to have attached itself and hid on the confused Nara's shoulder. It quickly sucked in air, and then swells of wind chakra suddenly expelled from his torso like waves, rebuking the three attackers and their jutsus that lunged towards him. Then, the wind chakra began to spin around them like a maelstrom, like a rasengan, reaching the diameter of a small house. The force of the giant rasengan easily uprooted trees, kicking up rocks and ninjas alike, whipping around the Nara and the clone like a spherical hurricane. The forces of the technique ripped open the earth and their enemies' flesh like stale paper and continued to do so until no one was left alive.

When the technique died off, what was once a thick forest became a field of limbs, torsos, kicked up rocks and uprooted trees. Blood stained every inch of the field. A pervasive, musty smell of human fluids flooded the air as a small shadow grew larger in size and two men were spat out.

As Shikamaru warily got up, he stared at his former comrade, trying to recount the quick battle. What was once a numbers disadvantage became an easy victory. From his days serving ROOT, he recounted the blonde-turned brunette being good, but not _that_ good. These strange, new powers that were so similar to Shikamaru's own - and yet were _so_ different - allowed them to turn an impossible situation into child's play.

The two ninjas had no time to exchange words as even more chakra signatures made their selves known beyond the site of the battlefield. They immediately took to higher ground, leaping up to the trees that weren't already felled from Naruto's technique. Naruto eyed Shikamaru's sweaty form, tattoos formed across the Nara's face - tattoos that Naruto knew were a sign of a sort of sage form, if the natural energy radiating from Shikamaru's form wasn't evidence enough.

Shikamaru eyed Naruto as well; both surprise and fright invaded his thoughts as the taller ninja had undergone a transformation himself. Naruto's face was also covered in sage tattoos – _this,_ the Nara was familiar of. However, Naruto's eyes were clouded with pure black. And what appeared to be two, black vipers erupted from his shoulder blades. The two, bloodthirsty snakes eyed the Nara hungrily, their red eyes and rows of jagged teeth brandished threateningly. The Nara admitted that he'd seen crazy things, but nothing as otherworldly as this. This version of Naruto, who right now seemed so foreign to him, was truly not the same. And he had to know why.

A pungent smell made its way to Naruto's nostrils. He sniffed the air before catching a hand that held a poisoned kunai that tried to make its way towards his stomach from the ground below. Naruto yanked the offending ROOT agent's arm up until he was able to look offending agent in the face, only to see a pair of terrified eyes. Naruto filled his other hand with wind chakra and blasted the agent into the darkening sky. One of the vipers that stretched from his back yanked the man who sailed mid-air and consumed him. The insatiable snake spat the kunai, which dripped with a black, toxic substance, back at Naruto who caught it effortlessly.

Another agent came from above, shooting herself from a higher branch with a fiery sword aimed at Naruto's heart. With a blast of wind, Naruto shot the poisoned kunai towards her shoulder. The impact stopped her midair and she fell onto a branch before fading into black as she fell below the canopy of leaves. The other viper eagerly dived below, slithering down the trees until a sickening crunch could be heard, followed by grotesque screams of pain.

The next three attackers surrounded him; Naruto's sage eyes revealed one crouching low below him, a snake getting ready to strike, and two perching above him. Naruto growled a sound that seemed to make even the trees shudder in pain as wind chakra pulled all three agents towards the tall ninja. Black matter erupted from his skin and spiraled around his forearms and unto his hands, forming blades shaped like daggers on his fingers. As the invaders were throttled towards him by his technique, he spun, flourishing his keen, umbrous blades like a dervish reciting a deadly dance. The bodies fell one by one far below into the forest floor. He stopped his movements and listened.

Naruto heard more coming. He looked towards the sky and smiled. The sun was going down, the sky bleeding black as the day slowly turned to night. He immediately jumped back down towards the ground while his attackers tried to re-orientate themselves after the surprise of his form. He let the forest's shadows touch him, engulfing him until he was covered with a black, skin-tight membrane that reached all the way up to his neck, leaving only his head exposed. A line of black mist oozed from his eyes like a black smoke, frightening even the hardest of veterans. He raised his hand in the air and the shadows materialized in his hand into a black, straight-edged saber. In a dark plume of smoke, he whisked himself away and became one with the night, killing many with his sword. Shouts permeated the forest as thick waves of his tainted chakra slowly seeped its way between every blade of grass, under every upturned rock in hopes of seizing life. He allowed the black matter's influence to slowly seep into his subconscious as small grin seized his features. With a wave of his hand, the immediate area was covered in pitch black. Not a single shred of light was allowed to pass through and everything was now under his domain.

Shikamaru summoned shadowy tendrils from every dark orifice of the forest, stabbing any moving life form that threatened him with either a jutsu or a weapon. He sprinted across the forest floor, scouting for life, while tendrils continued to impale those behind him in a wave of destruction. Several attacks came close to harming him, but he found a spherical shield that effectively shielded him from harm. He smiled with relief as his own jutsu saved his life while at the same time impaling everyone in the immediate vicinity. He ignored the various screams of combat and focused on surviving. Though the two shadow users had annihilated the brunt of the ROOT forces that ambushed them, smaller cells of attackers continued to fight them. As the Nara defeated each soldier using his clan's jutsus, he swore he felt small, yellow eyes sneering at him from behind the shade of the surrounding forest. Some even intervened in his fights, possibly out of a whim, and helped him kill some of his attackers. This, he had to assume, was Naruto's doing.

He looked towards Naruto, who slashed away at the resisting forces with his shadowy blade. Projections of darkness continued to erupt from his back and batted away ROOT agents trying to mount a surprise attack. The tendrils grabbed at the endless supply of ninjas, either whipping their bodies at each other or feeding them to the two tireless vipers that hung on the ninja's shoulders - seemingly with minds of their own. Shikamaru focused once more at his own enemies, slicing at them with shadowy blades of his own.

ROOT forces continued to spill down the hills and trees towards the battlefield in a desperate attempt to kill the two shadow-users. Many had felt true fear for the first time and found it to be a heavy blanket that anchored their hearts and immobilizing their bodies. Eventually, the last of the attackers surround both Naruto and Shikamaru, whose backs faced one another. Both men, despite their power, grew tired due to hours of fighting.

Naruto quickly spotted their commander who wore a red-horned mask. Naruto gripped his sword and purged it into the ground. And then the forest floor erupted. Tiny, little hands reached out from pockets of darkness that surrounded the ROOT agents and pulled themselves out of the ground. Shikamaru gasped as small, black humanoids with yellow eyes and jagged teeth grasped onto the elite soldiers pull them down into the darkness, where sounds of dismemberment and chittering laughter could be heard. A single, black humanoid was left on the battlefield and clumsily shambled beside Shikamaru, who poised his shadow blades at it. The little goblin pointed at the Nara while sending Naruto a questioning look.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru demanded. "Tell it I'm with you!"

"You're not." Naruto stated simply, his voice distorted by his own power. Needlessly, Naruto shook his head and the small goblin-like creature chuckled, and then saluted him before receding back into the shadow of darkness. The two of them were now alone, all their attackers either dead or dragged into the abyss by forces unknown to the Nara. The two ex-comrades reverted back to their regular forms, if a bit disheveled.

"What the hell was that?" Shikamaru shakily inquired, trying to sound coherent. "And your powers. What the hell happened to you, Naruto?"

"It's been four months since I last saw you, Shikamaru." Naruto stated as he found the velvet package he previously carried and set it on his back. "It's been four months since I last contacted anyone. A lot can happen in that time."

Shikamaru sent him a pleading. "Let me in, Naruto. It doesn't have to be like this!"

"It does." Naruto ignored the Nara, turned around and looked at the sky once again. Stars had begun to peek out from the darkness that threatened to oppress the night sky. He started walking east once more, but the Nara stopped rounded and blocked his way.

"No it doesn't. I don't care how powerful you've gotten. You still can't do this alone. You need _us_."

Suddenly, Naruto winced as pain shot in his head. He fell to one knee as a familiar voice snaked in his thoughts.

_**You don't need him!**_

_Shut up! _Naruto willed the pain to end.

_**Kill him! Rip hisss Flesssssh apart!**_

Naruto spotted a single humanoid quietly creep up behind Shikamaru, an insatiable hunger on its black features.

_No!_ He willed it to disappear, and suddenly the pain and the creature and the foreign voice ceased to be.

"What are you looking at?" Shikamaru looked behind himself, but found nothing. Naruto slowly stood back up.

"Nothing. The rest of Danzou's forces will be here within a few hours, this time in thousands. They'll find this place and their scientists and researchers will no doubt realize that this all has been done by a shadow user, by you, since our powers are awfully similar. They'll be pinning this on you, which will further endanger you and your wife, whoever she may be. Knowing that, do you still want me on your side?"

Shikamaru nodded. "If anything, it makes me want your assistance even more. Fire country needs you, Naruto. As well as the entirety of the elemental nations. What do you say?"

"I doubt I'll be needing you."

"I already told you, you can't beat Danzou on your own, as powerful as you've gotten. You'll need my help. I'll also need yours."

"I refuse to help an old enemy." Naruto said adamantly.

"The moment you turned your back on Danzou, you became my ally." Shikamaru crossed his arms but breathed a sigh of defeat. "When you're done finding what you're looking for, when you've found Landshark, remember my offer. You know where to find me."

Naruto stood motionless, his grey eyes on the night sky. He made no indication of his thoughts. Soundlessly, he departed eastward, giving his former comrade no hint of a reply.

Shikamaru eyed the eastward horizon, and found that there were no stars in that direction. He bowed his head in annoyance as he slowly sunk into the depths of the shadows.

* * *

**Jutsu List:**

Rasenshuriken - A technique Naruto developed in his teens that I decided should be carried into this story. It's power level and effects in this story is pretty much the same as in the cannon Naruto universe.

Rasenshield - A technique I picked up in one of the other stories (I forgot which one) that is similar to the Oodama Rasengan in size. But instead of being produced from Naruto's hands, it is produced from his lungs, and is expelled outward to create a Rasengan large enough to act as a shield, among other things.

Unnamed wind technique #1 - The one that pulled enemies towards Naruto. Will be named at a later chapter.

Unnamed wind technique #2 - The one where Naruto blasted wind chakra at the ROOT agents. Will be named at a later chapter

* * *

**Author's note #2 (Final thoughts):**

Although I do like how most stories have characters name their techniques out loud during combat (It certainly adds a sense of immersion in the story), it is not my writing style to do so. I feel like although Kishimoto's version of ninjas is really unique, it doesn't fit with my perception of how they should be - which is that of a sneaky, stealthy assassin. Therefore, I won't usually have the characters name their techniques in battle, at least in this story.

Well, I hoped you guys enjoyed this story, is this has been in my head for years! Please Review your thoughts on it and feel free to ask questions! I'll try to answer them without spoiling any future chapters. And hopefully, If there are enough reviews I may even put out another chapter before Christmas. Speaking of which, happy holidays!


	2. Chapter 2 - The Fox and the Shark

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I probably forgot to mention it last chapter, but I don't own Naruto! If I did, I probably wouldn't be making fanfics! Anyways, belated happy holidays! I spent mine eating a truckload of food. Anyways, on with the chapter!**

* * *

"Have you heard the rumors?" A ninja slurred, dizzied by the influence of his drink. He wore a confident smile as he whispered slyly to his friend.

"What rumors?" A young woman–not a ninja, but a citizen–leant forward giddily as the man slinked an arm over her shoulder, tonguing silver words into her green ears.

"It's about lady Hokage. She croaked."

"What?" The young woman tried to contain herself, gasping into her cupped hands. "Is there proof? Lady Shizune assured us that lady Tsunade was safe. That she was doing fine!"

"Sadly not," the man shook his head ruefully, holding the saddened woman closer. He smiled, however, as her tiny dress refused to shelter her voluptuous curves against his body.

"But how do you know?"

The flushed man peered over his soldier before turning back to the young, distressed woman. "ANBU stormed the administrative building, the mission offices, and the Hokage's residence. They won't tell us anything, nor do they let anyone in or out! Missions and trades are put on hold and no one can get in or out of the village. They don't want any of the other countries knowing!"

"_They_?" The pretty, little thing gasped conspiringly.

"Danzou and the Hokage's other consultants, I'd wager." The man nodded assumingly. "Be it hostile or peacefully, he's planning a takeover. He's always wanted the power."

"T-that's insane! What you're saying is treason!" The woman began backing away; visibly shaking in fright as she frantically pried his arm away from her waist.

"Think about it!" The man clumsily hopped off his stool before grabbing her arm. "Lady Hokage became bed-ridden because of Pein's attack, reducing the village to dust… We suddenly needed a hero, someone to lead us."

He continued when he found that the woman didn't fight back. "Then, Danzou makes his play when the Raikage hosts a summit in Iron Country because of _evil forces_. Danzou attends as a Hokage candidate and he makes Konoha the leader of the _Alliance_. Then, the _Akatsuki_ attack and Danzou defeats the _traitorous Uchiha_! Then he comes back with a parade and flowers… Then lady Tsunade dies!"

"_Supposedly_ dies." The woman frowned.

"Supposedly." He concedes, scratches his forehead behind his rusty, leaf headband. He eyed the quaint bar suspiciously, its few other patrons either shinobi like himself or regular citizens of high social standing. He turned back to his date, who he gathered was probably already planning on leaving him.

He whispered. "This whole thing doesn't sit well with me. My opinion? Danzou planned the entire thing. From the attack at the summit to lady Tsunade's death!"

"You're crazy!" The woman slapped the already dizzy man, the shock sobering him as his drink fell to the floor. She rushed away in anger, having wasted her time. But as she was just about to exit through the front, the door opened and a young man entered, adorned in black and orange ninja attire. She immediately came to a halt as her date arrived to her side. The pair stuttered out a respectful greeting and bowed.

The young man waved to them his appreciation as he made his way to the counter. The other man and woman exchanged looks and hurriedly left as if they'd committed treason themselves.

He awkwardly sat on the slightly marred stool, facing the front entrance of the seedy tavern. He sized the bartender and signalled to order his drink. He gulped as the burly woman nonchalantly served him a gourd of fine rice wine. She didn't reciprocate his nod, moving on to the next customer. The young man poured himself a small glass and shook his head at the pungency of the alien liquid as it forced its way down his inexperienced palette. He sulkily bowed into his drink, surrounded by the dark, lukewarm room and its gossiping patrons.

He ignored his surroundings, except the front door, for nearly an hour while playing with his bitter drink. Suddenly, he felt someone poke at his side.

"Is this seat taken?" A taller, older ninja wearing an _abnormally_ _clean_, black flak jacket and a soot-grey half-mask, asked. The blonde-haired ninja shook his head before turning back to his drink.

After a few minutes, the older man received his drink and turned back to the younger man. "You're Uzumaki Naruto, yes? I've seen you around. Though we haven't met personally, I'm rather proud of what you've done for our village."

The shorter shinobi nodded quietly, _somberly_. He was also surprised that someone managed to catch him off-guard. He didn't remember seeing anyone else enter through the front.

"I'm Tanaka Buso. My colleagues call me Tanbou." The man aloofly introduced himself before pointing at Naruto's drink. "First time drinking? Expecting someone?"

"Yeah, it's my first time." Naruto quietly admitted. "How'd you guess?"

"Cos' though you're drinking by yourself, you have three shot glasses out!" The man laughed.

"Oh." Naruto realized. "You're right. I wasn't thinking."

"You're a young man in a bar. No one expects you to think," Tanbou teased. "Besides, have you seen the chaos outside? Regular citizens don't see it – _Hell_, nor do genin that are green from the academy. But a man my age notices things. In my line of work, I see cover-ups, lies, propaganda… But nothing of this scale. You noticed it too, right? That's why you're here and not out there. Things out there are changing and it's out of our hands."

Naruto remained quiet, his eyes on his three lonely shot glasses. "Yes. They are."

The man hummed while taking in his drink; a double-shot of whiskey, three cubes of ice. "You've heard the rumors, right?"

"I'm familiar with them."

"I'm sorry that you are," the man consoled, "but they're very true. I work up in the administrative building, so I see you from time to time up there. I heard that you were close to her. That you were –"

He looked at the younger man who stared darkly into his drink. "Sorry, I shouldn't pry."

"No, you're right. We were close. First it was Jiraiya, and then her. They –"

"Were a great loss to us all, a great loss to our village." Tanbou answered for him, raising his drink. Naruto clinked it with his and they both frigidly swilled their drinks.

"I hear that." Naruto sadly stated.

"Let me be frank, Uzumaki-san. I don't believe it was an accident. Lady Tsunade's death, that is."

"Neither do I."

"It must be the _Akatsuki's doing,_" the man seethed, gripping his glass in anger, "or one of the other nations. I bet you that none of the other countries appreciate the thought of Konoha, a village reduced to ashes by Pein, becoming the head of a powerful alliance. Hell, no one–even us Konoha shinobi–likes the thought of Danzou becoming the head of that great power. And so they probably decided to do something about it. Get us where it hurts, where we're the weakest. They killed our leader while she was in a coma when she was alone and unprotected."

A pregnant silence then separated the two ninjas as gossiping whispers continued to flood the dark, poorly lit bar.

"Do you think it's my fault?" Naruto asked after a few moments of silence.

"_Your_ fault?" The man exclaimed incredulously, and then slammed the counter in anger. The other patrons stared at them momentarily out of the sudden noise before turning back to their own drinks. "Why the heck would it be _your_ fault?"

"I'm a jinchuuriki. I'm the center of it all. You work in the administrative building so you know why the summit was held, right? Us jinchuurikis, we're the center of all of Man's wars, the center of all Man's strife and struggle. Whoever targeted Tsunade might've done so to get at me."

"Is that what you've been stewing about, Uzumaki-san?" The man asked disappointedly. He sighed. "No, I don't think it's your fault. If anything, us older shinobi are at fault. You didn't ask to be made a jinchuuriki. We needed a scapegoat, and there you were."

"It doesn't matter." Naruto waved it off. "I don't blame you guys. But now what? Where does the village go from here?"

"Well we're still here, aren't we? If you're right and the Akatsuki are targeting you, then they failed, didn't they?"

"They did. I'm still here. _Baa-chan_'s death hasn't made me useless yet."

"Good. Very good, Uzumaki-san." The man looked at his watch before quickly finishing his drink and standing up. "I have to go back to my family."

"That can't be good." Naruto joked.

"Hey, a smile!" The man smacked the boy's back. "You'll see better days, yet. But seriously though, try explaining to your wife and kid that war might not be too far off in the horizon."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" The man then rummaged his pockets and produced a small, crumpled note. He placed it in front of Naruto, who took it and stared at it. "Remember what I said about things out there changing and it being out of our hands?"

Naruto nodded. The note described a conference taking place in the mission office, a week from then.

Tanbou continued. "Well, there might be something you can do, after all. I'm a recruitment officer for the Hokage. I scout people that can be of great use for the village. I've had my eyes on you for a while, Uzumaki-san. You're highly skilled. Think about it."

The young ninja stared into the paper and back at Tanbou. The man had disappeared. Naruto took the last of his rice wine and slugged it back, wiping his mouth. He produced a couple _ryos_ and placed it on the counter and left, as well.

* * *

_An elderly man sitting behind a large table adjusted his conical hat as he regarded the four youth ninjas standing at attention in front of him. He rubbed at his sore side. They stiffly fidgeted as he eyed them in scrutiny as each agent avoided his gaze in reverence. It was a fiery afternoon, the flaming, red sky behind him seeping into the walls from the open window._

_"So," Danzou drawled, blowing a smoke ring that rose and flew behind him, out into the open sky, "It has been a month since you four have become Jounin of the ROOT Empire, a month of unquestioning service to me, your Hokage. Have your handlers told you why I called for you four?"_

_They all shook their heads, except one. Shikamaru, adorned in dark, functional attire spoke up. "We were told you'd brief us that. But from what I could gather, according to the mobilization of this specific group of four, the nature of this mission is indeed very dangerous."_

_"Precisely." Danzou, the lord of what was formerly called Fire country, nodded. "Impressive as always, Nara-san. You four, as you all may already know, are four of the greatest shinobi the ROOT Empire has ever produced. You are the only ones capable of accomplishing this next task."_

_The elderly warlord motioned for his assistant, Kabuto, a man whose talents far outweighed the risk of his betrayal, to hand out the documents on his desk to the four elite jounin, each operative cloaked in dark, shadowy cloaks that melted into the wooden, ebony floor. Their veils billowed like flags as a wandered its way into the ROOT lord's office in the administrative building. The four young shinobi scanned their respective documents. A long, pregnant pause filled the room._

_Uzumaki Naruto was the first to question. He ran a strong hand through his long spikes in contemplation. "This is a dossier. But what of our mission?"_

_"These are identities." Hyuuga Hinata formulated. "Identities."_

_"Are we to go undercover?" Rock Lee asked._

_"Doubt it." Shikamaru shook his head. "He wouldn't want our skills wasted on observational work. He'd want to give us more freedom, free of paperwork and red tape. But due to the nature of our works we've all accrued some form of infamy. We aren't as free as the lord wants. In order for us to operate with the highest potential flexibility, he has to kill us."_

_"What?" Lee's eyes widened. "Lord Danzou, please explain!"_

_The old hawk smiled devilishly and motioned back to the sharp Nara. "Why don't you continue to share us your thoughts, Shikamaru-kun?"_

_The soldier nodded. "If we were to fake our deaths and take on our new identities, we will be free to carry out any task, any mission, without it being traced back to the ROOT empire. We'll become ghosts, possibly the empire's greatest tools. A shadow group evading any and all forms of surveillance like smoke passing through fingers."_

_The other three jounin marveled at the implications. Danzou barked a pleased chuckle. "Very sharp. You four are my very best, with good reason. Within the span of a month you four have shown the greatest results for ones so young. You are all also the most loyal. With my goals slowly coming to fruition, I can only trust the success of this great empire with a select few."_

_"You want us to know why we do the missions? We're allowed to question them?" Shikamaru inquired – Almost stated, arousing looks of surprise from his comrades._

_The enigmatic leader nodded. "With that said, the alliance that I have forged with the other Kage's, the other Shadows, is beginning to weaken. My turning of Fire country from a nation to an empire has planted seeds of suspicion, and I have received reports of conspiracy. With the sudden disappearance of Akatsuki, the alliance has begun to lose its purpose. Some of the other Kage's wish to be the new heads of the alliance."_

_"But that will destroy our peace! Our unity!" Lee stamped._

_"It will." Danzou nodded prophetically. "Our peace will be short lived if we don't do anything about it. I will need you to be strong, free from past ties in order to cement our empire's dominance. I need you to kill your past lives and devote your new ones to me, to your empire."_

_"I have no ties or loved ones." Naruto stepped forward insubordinately. Hinata flinched at his statement. "No one controls or ties me down."_

_He walked towards Danzou's desk, conviction in his unwavering, oceanic eyes and dread dripping from his tongue. Kabuto formed a keen, green chakra scalpel, as bright and as hot as a torch. "Stop right there! Don't come any closer to your leader, Uzumaki!"_

_"There is no need for that, Kabuto-kun." Danzou waved him off. "Watch."_

_"I have no master," Naruto continued before kneeling in front of Danzou, "except you, my Lord."_

_The other three shinobi followed suit._

_"Stand." Danzou ordered. They did as requested, Kabuto returned to his spot behind Danzou's chair. "Enough with the flourishes. Your mission. It can't be written, so commit this to memory: You four are to travel to Iron country and fake your deaths. Make it look like the Akatsuki's doing. Make it clean, believable. Then, travel to our black site in Rice country. You know the one. There you will receive new handlers and, of course, assume your new identities."_

_"Understood!" They saluted._

_"Good. This mission will accomplish two things. Of course, it gives the empire a great boon through putting your skills to good use. However, it also serves to lubricate the other countries into wholly joining the empire. Take that severity into account when performing your duties during your new lives."_

_"No pressure." Shikamaru snorted._

_"You are all dismissed."_

_Naruto was the first to walk out. Hinata eyed him worriedly._

* * *

"How are his vitals?" A thin man, wearing a lab coat and thick-rimmed glasses, droned from behind a glowing apparatus that washed the dark room in a pale, green light. He leaned over the vibrating machine as he stared into a one-way glass at his subject: A sleeping patient wrapped in white hospital garments, on a small, blanket-less bed, surrounded by an empty, bright room. No windows, other than the one-way glass – Only a single door connected the lonely, white room to the rest of the facility, leading to a lift that transported individuals to the higher floors.

A tall, lanky guard wearing black mission-oriented protective posture gear, including his white, painted ROOT mask, stood in the room with the sleeping subject. The guard stood lifelessly as he focused on the unconscious man who was covered in beige gauze. The guard's posture was perpetually at a ready stance. A set of diagnostic equipment surrounded and was connected to the sleeping subject, quietly humming as his fluids passed to and from the tubes that attached to his limbs and torso.

"The subject's health status meets the boss's standards, though they can be better." The scientist's assistant, a short, balding man with greying hairs, answered indifferently from behind him as the scientists both stared at the subject through on the other side of the glass. "Should I run the diagnosis again, sir?"

"No, Hamatsu-san. Two tests are fine. It's almost noon at ground level, our shift should be about done." The taller scientist replied as he turned around, shutting off the diagnostic apparatus, the last bit of pale light slowly dying black–and thus darkening the small laboratory–as the machine's quiet humming halted. He looked back to the guard, finding a microphone on his desk and clicked on it. An overwhelming, red light flooded the other room and the guard looked back at the black glass, poised at attention. "The diagnostic exam has finished. You may remove the subject from the MRI and escort him back to his quarters in the neighbouring compound. With haste."

The thin guard saluted before performing his instructions, quickly unplugging the tubes and wires from the subject before wheeling the bed out the door. A roaring of metal could be heard as the lift escorted the guard and the subject to ground level, leaving the two scientists alone in the darkness of the isolated floor.

The scientist switched off the microphone, removing the tumbling, red light from the other room then clicked on another button on his table, turning the light off altogether. He turned around in the dark room, removing his lab coat and tossing it on a rack beside the door. Underneath the lab coat he wore civilian attire common in Sound country. He took a thin, straw hat from the rack and set it on his head.

"Good work today," the scientist stood at the door, searching the dark room for his assistant, "the subject seems to be growing stronger and stronger every day. Send a report to Kabuto-sama that subject _Raven_ will be fully operational and mobilized by the end of the week. I know you've joined the project just a few weeks ago, but you've done remarkable so far. Try your best not to blow your cover when you're outside, though. The populace cannot know of the work we do here. Nor can the other scientists in the facility."

He then turned around and opened the door, assuming that his assistant was still cleaning up in the dark, dark room. Yellow, sterile light immediately flooded the room. He looked back to say goodbye to his assistant, but found the man's contorted body being dragged into a corner, into what seemed like a black hole in the wall.

"Hamatsu-san!" The scientist pried off his straw hat and rushed to his assistant's aid. He pulled on his new recruit's legs, but found that the person pulling on his immobilized assistant's body, on the other side, of the adumbral hole to be stronger. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up, revealing a dark, stern face of a man who was with purpose.

"Your friend is dead, sir." The man pinned him against the apparatus, the cold metal invaded the scientist's back. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you a few questions."

"Questions?" The scientist inquired nervously, trying to make out the assailant's face. He had a muscular, stringy build and short, spiky hair. He couldn't make out the man's intrinsic features in the umbrous room. "Are you kidding me? I'm the one in charge here. What are_ you_ here for!"

The larger man tightened his grip on the scientist's shoulder. "Where is Landshark? Nobody in this facility seems to know where he is."

"What?" The scientist choked flabbergasted as he tried to pry the monstrous hand from his body. He was a jounin, yet had been so easily immobilized by the intruder. _Who in the hell is he?_

"That's an SS-class secret! Like I'll reveal that to you!"

"I believe you will." The assailant agreed. "The other personnel revealed nothing, either out of loyalty or ignorance I'm not certain, but I think you're different. I think you'll talk."

"Impossible!" The man protested, snarling as the dark man laughed mockingly. "And what of Hamatsu-san? Where did you take his body!"

"I took him somewhere quiet, the same with the other personnel. If you don't talk, the same will happen to you." The powerful shinobi answered calmly, resolutely.

"Then take me!"

"There was a person in that other room before a guard escorted him out," the assailant shifted focus, "was that Landshark? Where are they headed?"

The scientist's body immediately came to an unusual stillness. The subjugated man looked steely into the intruder's cold, dead eyes. "No, that is not Landshark. But you won't reach either of them!"

Suddenly, the scientist pressed chakra into his head. An array of bright seals washed over his forehead before the light stopped and the scientist leaned on the metal apparatus, dead. The assailant cursed as the building suddenly began to shake and tremor. He kicked at the scientist's limp body as he allowed tiny, inky hands pull the scientist's corpse into an umbrous void. The corpse's limbs were the first to seep into the shadows, but the intruder didn't stay to watch.

Naruto exited the laboratory and made his way back into the yellow-washed hallway. He'd infiltrated the eastern facility yet hadn't found signs of project Landshark. He found that none of the researchers working in the laboratories upstairs had any idea as to what the Landshark was, and was forced to venture down to the deepest recesses of the facility after disposing of the forces. He eventually found himself in the bottom floor, sixty floors underground, a couple of miles underground – Mere meters from the bedrock, just above Sound country's biggest aquifer. There, he knew the facility had the most power, as the water from the large aquifer supplied the basement laboratories with hydroelectric energy. It was the last place Landshark could be hiding, and yet, he hadn't found a single clue until he chanced upon the scientist.

But unfortunately their short-lived meeting was not successful, as it had raised more questions than answers. Where is the Landshark, and what was the other subject that the scientist didn't want him to find? He stalked to the end and heard the soft pattering of water drops, tapping like on the floor like tiny, cat feet. He didn't turn, merely continued to stalk towards the end of the pale corridor, subtly sending chakra to an array of seals on his palm. As he came before the door, the water drops stopped tapping and he quickly whipped around, producing a keen kunai from his palm seal. It sailed down the long, hallway. A thud echoed far down the metal corridor.

He waited.

"How did you detect me?" A rusty voice demanded, echoing from an undetermined direction. The harsh voice came from a shorter man, with a thinner, stringier build. The man had short-cropped, blue hair, pale-white skin and a terrifying smile. He wore black, skin-tight leggings that covered his feet, wooden sandals, and a blue polymer vest. Blue tattoos ran down his arms and the base of his neck like a demonic web. The man was armed with a single, four-foot straight sword that hung loosely in his hand as he dragged it carelessly on the floor – Its sheathe was attached vertically to the back of his vest. Though he showed no apparent finesse or skill with the blade, Naruto felt that his presence was heavy, as the shorter man gave no openings with such a clumsy form.

Naruto backed to the corner, his stance low and stable, chakra flaring to his palms once more.

"That's not how you treat an old friend, an old comrade," the shearing voice teased mockingly. "How long has it been? Four years?"

Naruto immediately shot the kunai at the cold-yellow flood lights keeping the lonely hallway lit. Sparks and glass danced fleetingly before each flood light was swept into the darkness. Eventually, so did the hallway.

"Trying to escape? Run away? Doesn't sound like the Fox that _I_ knew. Doesn't sound like him at all." The hard voice sighed, becoming louder as the man it belonged to stood no longer than a yard away from him. "Tell me, Himiya, why have you come here?"

Naruto instantly blew back the man with wind chakra then used the time to swipe at him with two wind-kissed kunai. He felt the chakra slice at flesh, but heard only laughter followed by the sound of water crashing to the floor. Naruto felt the air displace and quickly met his target's blade a couple inches from his own face. The blonde pushed the blade to the side with his kunai, aided by the gale force of his own chakra, and palm thrust his target's chest. He gushed chakra out of his palm–the white light of his seals revealing a sadistic face with jagged, smiling teeth–kunai and wind chakra exploding out. The force of the kunai quickly plunged into the man and pushed the target back to the other end of the hallway like a tossed doll. However, Naruto could only hear the sound of the kunai ricocheting off a metal wall.

He heard snickering behind him and spun like a whirling dervish, immediately sailing a spinning elbow, followed by a high round kick, and then a slash from his air-infused kunai. More water crashed to the floor, and even more laughter followed. Naruto spiked more chakra and density into his vaporous blade, its edge whirring and vibrating like a saw.

"I see that you've come for me," the man deduced, before Naruto was forced to parry an onslaught of attacks from a blade, "but why? You know you can't touch me!"

"Project Landshark," Naruto finally whispered threateningly. "Yes, I have come for you. Come with me without resistance."

"Resistance?" The Landshark scoffed. "Is that what you call _this_!"

Twin torrents of water welled from the man's chest and spun around his arms at a terrifying speed. The two torrents exploded from the Landshark's arms and drilled into Naruto's torso, the force burrowing and ripping into his camouflage body suit. He immediately burst into smoke before reappearing on the ceiling above the Landshark who began to summon water from below ground. The water filled the floor of the long corridor, out of the aquifer that the large compound sat on.

The water quickly rose to his knees, gurgling and bubbling as the Landshark's arms surged with chakra. The man mouthed aloud, "Water release: Ocean blood frenzy!"

The water quickly formed into a school of snapping sharks, their jaws lined with sharp, icy daggers. The Landshark sent them towards Naruto, who found no way of escape in the dark, narrow hallway.

Naruto summoned five balls of whirling chakra to each of his ten fingertips and thrust them into the steel wall beside him. The blast ripped the metal into shredded shards of steel, forming a large hole. He jumped through it and found himself in a prison cell, narrowly avoided the Landshark's barrage of hungry sharks.

He looked back and found a water shark wedged through the hole, brutally snapping its jaws and writhing as water sprayed into the cell. Naruto cursed as he heard a man's maniacal laughter, as a sword–what seemed to be a _Chokuto–_pierced through the wall of the cell adjacent to his. Naruto cursed again as the Landshark attempted to follow him into the poorly-lit prison.

Naruto used the time to collect natural energy, quickly summoning his sage form. Deep, red tattoos ran across his thin face as he muttered, "Sage arts: Toad confining imprisonment!"

As soon as the Landshark appeared after bursting through the wall himself, he immediately encountered a pack of toads, whose tongues whipped around his limbs and pulled them apart with grips like vices. The frogs themselves turned to stone, cementing his imprisonment. The Landshark chuckled at the irony of the situation.

"Sealing arts: Light binding!" Naruto unrolled his latex sleeves, revealing tattoos that ran across his forearms like webs and slammed his hands into the ground. An array of seals escaped from his fingers and threaded into the prison floor, lighting up the dark dungeon. The seal made their way to the stone toads, up their tongues, and all across the smiling Landshark's body.

Naruto stood up, the sage chakra slowly disappearing along with his tattoos and toad-like eyes. "You're trapped."

"So it appears." The man smiled disdainfully. His sharp, jagged teeth brandished with animal fury. Water dripped from his blue hair as the man writhed in his prison of stone and seal. "What do you intend to do?"

"I intend for you to join me, Suigetsu." Naruto eyed the chained beast, whose recoiling attempts at escape ripped at his own armor. Naruto noticed the man eyeing his Chokuto, which fell to the ground in his confinement.

"Join you?" The Landshark asked incredulously, clearly offended. "Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because I have something you want." Naruto stated.

"And you couldn't have just told me without trapping me? You're an idiot, as always, Himiya."

"I had to. You're too dangerous without a leash, even for me."

Suigetsu sneered. "Well, spit it out."

Naruto unsnapped the package wrapped in red velvet off his back. He set it on its side and peeled the fabric off. Suigetsu gasped hungrily as the red material dropped to the floor, revealing a large sword, the size of Naruto's body. The blade was nearly a foot wide and two fingers thick, with two large holes in along its great length. It was large, even for a _zanbatou_. It was rusty, however, most likely due to mistreatment and lack of use.

"That's impossible." The Landshark whispered. He eyed the blade lustily. "You stole _his_ blade? You killed him?"

"I didn't, personally. My old team met Zabuza-san almost nine years ago when I was twelve. I recovered the Kubikiribocho about a month ago, preparing it for you."

"So that's your play, huh?" Suigetsu trembled with laughter, his body appeared to be perspiring and melting at a fast rate until his body dissolved into water and fell to the ground in a thick puddle. However, he was still able to speak even in his liquid form. "First trap me, and then bribe me into joining you?"

The Landshark reformed out of the puddle, out of the confines of the stone-toad prison. "I don't know if it is out of cockiness or out of stupidity, but what made you think I would happily take the sword and follow you around like a _dog_!"

He grabbed the Chokuto from the ground and wrapped it with ice, slashing the prison bars that separated the two powerful ninjas. "And even if I said I'd join you, what makes you think I won't kill you after you hand me that blade?"

"Because you need me." Naruto said simply.

"You're delusional, Himiya!" Suigetsu made raised his icy sabre, the ice extended from the straight edge of Suigetsu's Chokuto, cutting through the ceiling of the jail cell. The blade did not stop, as the ice stabbed through the countless levels of the empty facility, through dozens of floors until the blade surfaced from the facility's roof. The thin, icy blade rose high above the research facility, adjacent to a tall, metal radio tower, like two spears stabbing the yellow afternoon sky.

Then the Landshark huffed and quickly brought the blade down, slashing through thousands of feet of steel, across Naruto's torso. As the dark-haired ninja's body fell down, the two bloody halves of his corpse each dissolved into vapour. The Landshark blinked ferociously, retracting the ice from his blade and formed a defensive stance as the building began to crumple under the keen edge of his jutsu.

The building began to sink as even more water from massive aquifer underneath the facility began to swallow the metal facility in its watery jaws, already reaching the Landshark's waist. And the Fox was nowhere to be seen, along with the Kubikiribocho.

"You dumbass!" Naruto materialized from the shadows like a wraith, unharmed. "We need to go. Now!"

"Like hell! Give me the sword!" The Landshark once again lengthened his icy Chokuto, and summoned the rising waters to his other arm, forming a gigantic, blue fist. He leapt towards the former ROOT agent, who merely sighed in frustration as he exploded in an emblazoned cry.

Sheets of metal and slabs of concrete rained and splashed into the aquifer's maw as the research facility continued to sink into the underground ocean. Suigetsu looked left and right and found that Naruto had once again slipped his fury.

He cursed, "Water release: Heavenly water spout!"

The rising waters churned and formed before him before exploding skyward. The watery hurricane blasted through hundreds of feet of metal before erupting past the facility's roof like a volcano. Suigetsu thoughtlessly stepped into the spinning wall of the water spout before being propelled past miles of steel and concrete. He held his breath for several moments until the midday light reached his eyes. He found himself free-falling twenty stories in the air. He looked below and saw the main facility he had trained in being swallowed by the earth. Its foundation, and eventually the ground floors, crumbled, slowly eaten by a large, watery maw. Suigetsu found himself falling beside the great radio spire's side, the grey sword-like tower painted golden by the sun's fierce light.

As he dropped down the side of the tall, sinking skyscraper, he brought his hands together to form a jutsu. However, he didn't expect the former ROOT agent to burst through one of the building's windows and tackle him mid-air. From the corner of Suigetsu's eyes, he noticed shadowy tentacles retreating back into the smashed window, as a dark aura sizzled and dissipated from Naruto's body. The former ROOT ninja appeared to be in great pain as the sun's unforgiving rays vanquished his dark powers.

Ignoring the pain of the sun's assault, Naruto grabbed the flabbergasted Landshark and sent wind chakra to his feet, propelling them both away from the building. The two falling ninjas spiralled uncontrollably as they fell faster and faster to the ground. Finding that he didn't have enough power or control, he immediately gathered natural energy and summoned back his sage form.

"Wind release: Floating feet!" Suddenly, wind chakra stopped their spinning and a tiny tornado formed below Naruto's feet. The two ninjas slowly hovered towards one of the roofs of the surrounding compounds, free from the impact of the sheer drop.

Once they hovered a mere fifty feet from the ground, Suigetsu snarled and kicked at the toad sage, separating the two as they landed in different directions. Naruto continued to float onto the roof a shed, while Suigetsu shot through one of the other one-story buildings. Naruto heard the sounds of glass shattering and metal tearing from the impact of his former comrade's landing. The small house exploded as shards of metal and ice sailed across the sky, forcing Naruto to block spinning debris with an improvised wind barrier.

As the smoke cleared, Naruto saw a half-naked, blue-haired man, whose body phased in and out of a watery state.

"You're exhausted." Naruto's voice, enhanced by sage chakra, called out calmly, decisively as the toad sage clutched on to the great zanbatou with a single, strong hand.

"No." The Landshark stubbornly stomped. "Give me that sword!"

"If you will." Naruto whispered, channeling wind chakra into the monstrous blade.

A terrifying smile struck the Landshark's jagged face as he, too, channeled monstrous chakra to his own sword as the two men leapt at each other mid-air and met blade-to-blade. Sparks flew and deadly chakra collided as the strength and speed of the two fighters butted like two bulls. The impact from their blast sent a wave of wind to sweep over the compound's grounds.

Suigetsu followed up by channeling water into his chokuto's blade, forming a gigantic, watery hand that grabbed onto the Kubikiribocho, locking it into place while he struck Naruto on the side with an icy spear hand. Naruto suddenly exploded in a conflagration; the impact of the explosion sent the Landshark flying.

Flesh dripped from Suigetsu's face as he landed on one of the cement roads that surrounded the ROOT research tower. He quickly stood up as water returned to his fallen face, regenerating the wounds that Naruto's exploding clone inflicted. He quickly stood up and immediately saw the face of the man he knew was his superior. Naruto looked down at him, from his position in the air, as a small tornado kept him afloat. The Landshark heaved as the large quantities of chakra tasked to regenerate him took a drastic toll on his system.

The former ROOT ninja eyed the ROOT agent down below shrewdly. "You can't last forever, Suigetsu. I know your limits better than you do. After all, I was one of your handlers."

"That was years ago!" The Landshark protested. "That was back when you were a part of us, before you betrayed us! Betrayed me!"

"I didn't betray you. Even now I'm still on your side."

"My ass! You were Danzou's prized dog! You were worse than him, did crimes he tasked you without thought or emotion. You did crimes even he wouldn't do. You're _still_ worse than him!"

"That may be so," Naruto's spinning whirlwind slowly dissipated, sending him to the ground as his sage tattoos slowly receded from his face, "but it wasn't I who betrayed you. Danzou did. The ROOT Empire lied to you and continues to lie.

Suigetsu sent the dark-haired, grey-eyed shinobi–whose visage was largely different than that of the tan, blonde-haired man he knew before–a disbelieving glare. Naruto continued, brandishing the Kubikiribocho. "Do you know where I found this? As I said before, my team crossed paths with Zabuza Momochi nine years ago on a C-rank mission in Wave country. He died, as you may have known. However, his blade, the Kubikiribocho, was lost."

"I read the report." The Landshark confirmed. His body rigid and yet fluid, relaxed and yet ready to pounce. "The Kubikiribocho, the immortal blade, was lost, according to Kakashi Hatake."

"It was a lie." Naruto said, earning an unsurprised snort from the weakened ninja. "A lie I made up. I asked my jounin sensei at the time to lie about the zanbatou's whereabouts."

"Why?" Suigetsu growled. "Why the fuck would you do that? So you could have the sword for yourself?"

"No. I did it for Zabuza-san." Naruto, the Fox, the man with many identities answered simply, transparently for the first time in a long, long time. "I did it for Haku-san. I did it for their honour. And so we lied to Konoha, saying that the sword was lost. But we didn't keep it. We hid it under plain sight; two unmarked graves resting atop a hill beside the border bridge connecting Fire country with Wave country."

"What does this have to do with Danzou betraying me?"

"A while back, I came looking for this sword. I came back to Zabuza-san's and Haku-san's graves. However, it wasn't there. I found it strapped to the back of a ROOT general ten clicks away, who answered directly to Danzou himself."

"You killed him." Suigetsu stated.

"I retrieved the asset." Naruto corrected. "Danzou knows about your goal, that you want to someday become a _swordsman of the Mist_, that you plan on collecting all of the heirloom weapons and become like your brother."

"Don't talk about me like you know me!" Suigetsu sent wave after wave of sharks at Naruto, who simply melted into the ground and rose behind the Landshark with what seemed like a _perfect_ displacement technique. Suigetsu whipped around, but found only the great zanbatou pierced inside the cement road.

"You asked me before," the Fox's voice echoed behind him. Suigetsu pried the sword off the ground with child-like awe before spinning with it with great skill and settled into a high, all-or-nothing stance towards Naruto who sat on a roof of a building, dangling his legs out of disrespect. "You asked me before what is stopping you from taking the sword and killing me, what is stopping you from betraying me the way I betrayed ROOT. My answer is this: You need me in order to collect all the swords. Only I can evade the ROOT Empire and destroy it from within itself. Only I can right the wrongs they committed against you and the people of Fire country. You need me."

Suigetsu's stance slumped, physically and mentally exhausted. He observed the great blade that Naruto gifted him with, its long, shiny blade reflecting the midday sun's fiery spears. "Do you know where the other swords are?"

"No."

"Then how the hell can you help me? How the _fuck_ can you aid me in achieving my goal?"

"I can't guarantee it. I don't even know if Danzou has all the blades scattered across his dirty empire. But I do know I'm your best bet. You can't collect the treasured swords with a leash around your neck. You can't become a swordsman of the Mist when Danzou plans on sacking Mist in the first place and converting it into a ROOT colony. You're working for people that keep you from accomplishing your goals."

Suigetsu hummed as Naruto unsealed a scabbard from a scroll produced from one of his pockets. Suigetsu twirled the blade and sheathed it on the scabbard, then clicked the scabbard to his belt, the long blade hanging horizontally above his posterior, underneath the Chokuto hanging vertically on his back.

"So," Naruto nodded, "what is your answer? Will you join me?"

Suigetsu rubbed a shark-tooth necklace latched across his neck, his jagged features crinkled in thought. He observed his surroundings deep in thought: The small ROOT village was quiet and empty, and the great radio tower was almost completely sunken along with the rest of the research compound. All that was left were the outlying buildings and the streets that connected them. But out in the lifeless streets, he felt something move in the shadows, in between lonely alleys, behind dark windows. He felt people watch him. Well, not _him, _but Naruto, who stared at him expectantly. The Landshark, who prided himself in his awareness, in his senses, mistook the sound of the wind rustling for small, conspiring voices. Tiny whispers and dark, hungry laughter. He didn't know why–or how–but he felt that if he refused the Fox's generous offer, he would soon cease to be.

He raised his head, his eyes meeting Naruto's levelly. He grunted exasperatedly, "Fine. Lead the way."

Naruto nodded before he stood up on the roof and looked towards the sinking spire, then back at the small, empty streets of the compound before dashing away. The Landshark noticed the Fox's moment of hesitation before he followed suit, leaving behind the ROOT research tower. The lonely blade of the tall spire slowly sunk into the vast ocean of Sound country's aquifer along with the rest of the main compound; a large, hungry whirlpool inevitably swallowing the ROOT sword whole.

It wasn't until they were miles away from the ruined facility, travelling west towards the Land of Hot Water that Suigetsu decided to voice his suspicions. As the two men leapt from tree to rotting tree, Suigetsu yelled, "If I'm to trust you, you need to tell me everything. How did you get past the ROOT surveillance? Why was the entire compound empty? And where are we headed?"

Naruto didn't turn around as he spoke his reply, "I have friends in _Yugakure_. They were the ones who helped me plan out my infiltration. It was my op, but they were the brains behind it. We're headed towards them right now. It's not too far, only a couple clicks away."

"You still haven't answered how an entire army of ROOT agents and scientists managed to disappear."

Naruto didn't speak for a long time as they skipped from tree to tree. As minutes passed, the rotten trees became healthier. Brown, rotten grass slowly became greener and fuller. The sky began to clear up. The terrain became flatter, as one can now see miles ahead. It wasn't until they came closer to the border between the land of Sound and the land of Hot Water that Naruto motioned for them to stop.

The two men landed on the healthy grass before disguising themselves in genjutsu. Naruto concealed his black, spiky hair, replacing it with soft patches of grey. His features wrinkled and his voice deepened as well. He produced a scroll from a bag clamped on his belt and unsealed a set of formal clothes, meant for travelling merchants. He tossed a set to Suigetsu, who shrouded himself with a younger illusion of himself. They each had a straw hats and rucksacks containing merchandise – Jewels and exotic weaponry from Sound.

The two trekked until they met a dusty road, the border now visible only a few miles away. When Naruto knew that they were alone, he finally said, "I didn't get all of them."

"What?" Suigetsu eyed the older merchant.

"I didn't hit all the buildings, all the compounds. I'm sure there are some survivors, though my techniques rendered most of them incapacitated. Just before I found you – "

"It was _I_ who found _you_."

"Yes, before you found me I saw another subject, someone important enough that a scientist I met sealed the laboratory and risked his life for."

"I wouldn't know about that." Suigetsu admitted.

Naruto eyed him observantly and found no lie in the Landshark's voice. "Nothing? The entire building rumbled. Doors were sealed."

"Again, I wouldn't know about that. When you're sent to a facility to train and be experimented on, you don't get to meet anyone outside of your handlers – Even other experiments. As far as I know, I'm the most kept secret the facility had."

"What did they experiment on you?"

"My _kekkai genkai._"

"There's more to just turning into water?" Naruto asked.

Suigetsu sent him an obnoxious, toothy grin. "You'll see."

Naruto nodded. "Be that as it may, the other subject who I barely made out was probably more important than you."

"You don't want to check it out?"

"He's probably dead, no thanks to your dumb ass."

Suigetsu scoffed in mock offense. It wasn't long until they reached the border. It was a tall, thick wall made of concrete that sliced the countryside into two. Patrols dotted left and right of the gate that led to the land of Hot Water. Naruto could see plenty of anxious people lined up to travel away from the land of Hot Water, but fortunately there wasn't a line of people trying to get in. "Anyways, who are the contacts we're meeting?"

Naruto merely eyed his newly acquired comrade squarely before producing papers to the guards that told them their identities and their reason for travelling.

Suddenly, Suigetsu shuddered. "No way. You're with _them_? _They're_ your contacts? You're fucking crazy! Stupid!"

Suigetsu groaned in pain as Naruto unbuckled his rucksack from his waist and showed the patrols their merchandise. Suigetsu didn't see it, but knew that the Fox was smiling.

* * *

Danzou sat in his office in his personal estate, going over several important documents. Though the estate was the former Sarutobi residence, recent renovations were added to suit his simple, productive tastes. And although he was arguably the most powerful man in the entire elemental nations, he was a soldier at heart and rarely allowed himself pleasures of higher status. Even in his days as an advisor. He neatly filed each report, whether they were bookkeeping or mission accounts, into specific drawers on his chrome desk. He stamped each transaction statement, contract and report with the unified ROOT emblem: Four long horizontal lines sitting atop two columns of two shorter horizontal lines.

The clean and simple office heavily contrasted with the flourishing village behind him, through the thinly curtained windows. Behind the glass was a rusting and heavily industrializing metropolis, having recovered well from Pein's invasion many years ago. Upon receiving the yolk of being a Hokage, before converting Fire country into the ROOT Empire, he decided that the village had to be rebuilt from the ground-up. Buildings were now works of steel, rising into the air like blades. Black smoke seethed from the center of each sword-like home–from chimneys rising down the middle of every floor of every building, keeping every floor warm–like a hot sword dipped in the water of a forge. Every district had massive, steam-powered generators guarded by plenty patrolmen, the size of a building, that fed every one of the metal city's districts with electricity through a series of underground water pipes. Plenty of other technological advances powdered the newly-built city – And it is due to this success that made the populace receive the transition into the ROOT Empire so well.

Steam and smog perfumed the air as whistles and gyros echoed out in the streets. Ninjas and civilians alike shambled down streets lifelessly, working tirelessly like bees, as strict ROOT militia patrolled the districts with indifference. Danzou's residence took the form of a stone castle containing several towers filled with knowledge passed down by the preceding Hokages.

But despite the humming, steel city's successful re-construction, his personal estate was still the tallest building, isolated from the happenings of the lower, _lesser_ districts – A spear among swords. The noise outside his home was both muffled and ignored by the quietness of his office.

The old warlord kept his office neat and orderly. Organized like his armies, sterile like their disposition. However, the ROOT emperor did allow himself some extravagance with a cabinet fully-stocked with fine liquors of every year since the last great ninja war. A vodka bottle was missing from the shelf, as it now sat on his silver desk. The vodka's make was the same year he'd first established ROOT as a branch of ANBU, during the Third's reign as Hokage. That was a good year.

He sipped out of a glass he'd poured–without a chase–while slashing at documents with well-executed calligraphy. Danzou motioned to his butler, who came immediately to cart him yet another bundle of letters, most of which written from foreign dignitaries and leaders. All of whom operate under the ROOT warlord's heavy thumb.

As the busy war-hawk settled into another round of documents, he felt a familiar presence approaching, followed by two sets of footsteps approaching his office. One set was controlled and with purpose, while the other one was frantic. It wasn't long until Kabuto, followed by a man wearing an ash-hued, synthetic yukata, entered the plain room.

Danzou did not bore them much attention as he continued to read the letters. Kabuto, wearing a tight pony-tail wrapped with black bandages, and an equally black cloak, was the first to kneel. The other man mirrored Danzou's assistant.

"You may both rise." The ancient shinobi commanded, his deep voice echoing into the hallway. Danzou nodded to his butler. The younger–though not by much–man bowed back before exiting the large room, closing the doors behind him. Light taking the form of seals flashed over the doors and the walls, indicating their privacy.

The man in the yukata was the first to talk, bowing deeply several times. "Lord Danzou, I apologize for the intrusion! Though it is against your orders to allow visitors during these evening hours, it seems Master Kabuto has news requiring your immediate attention."

"Thank you." Danzou replied to his head house retainer. "You may be excused, Iori-san."

When the elderly man nervously left the room, Danzou stared at Kabuto with mild annoyance. Kabuto bowed. "Lord Danzou, I've received reports from our western research facility in Sound country. It has been both infiltrated and compromised by the Fox."

Danzou dropped his papers, his decrepit hand shaking as sweat began to produce from his forehead. "And what of the head researcher, Mitsuhido? Has he sent a report?"

Kabuto nodded and handed his master a blood-stained parcel. Danzou grabbed the paper while trying to re-compose himself. As the aging man stared at the crimson-stained letter, his brow inclined deeper and harsher, gulping as his throat began to dry. He swished in his mouth the last of his vodka and wiped his lips and whipped the glass across his personal office in frustration, shattering it.

Danzou summoned a map of Sound country from a web of seals carved on top of his desk and jabbed a finger on it. He ordered. "Have some of your best men from the Foxhunt unit recalled into the nearest porting stations and re-deployed into both the western research facility and the eastern tower. Have their men block off all border exits within nightfall and the best of their ranks sweeping the main roads and forests."

Kabuto sent the older shinobi an inquiring stare, to which he replied, "The Fox is after Landshark, and quite possibly the _Raven_. We _cannot_ let that happen."

Kabuto's eyes widened. "Landshark _and_ the Raven? What could he possibly want with them?"

"I don't know, but of this I'm certain: The Fox cannot be left unchecked. You are dismissed."

Kabuto bowed before retreating out the door, but not before Danzou coughed for his attention once again, "And when you're finished mobilizing the Foxhunt operatives, have dossiers prepared for candidates replacing the western research facility's head. It seems that he failed his assignment."

The white-haired assistant nodded then slithered out into the hallway. Danzou dove back into his mission reports and letters as great explosions went off in the sky and rain slowly began dripping down the window behind him.

* * *

Shikamaru stood, leaning against a tall, marble countertop. The countertop was attached to one of the sandstone walls that framed his posh living room, lit only by a lamp hanging over his wet bar. A wooden shogi set sat on the counter as the dark-haired man held a pentagonal king piece, deep in thought. His head was low, letting his long, straight hair cover his thin face. He tapped it lightly on the shogi board and he stayed there for several minutes. He then sighed and dropped the piece uncaringly on the wooden board before making a beeline to a liquor cabinet at the end of the counter.

He took a small swig of the local Wind country sake, letting the cold liquid burn his throat and sober him from his thoughts. After a long, silent moment, he walked away from the wet bar, past his books, past his camel-fur couches, and towards the large, curtained windows. He looked out to the streets of Sunagakure, lit by torches large billowing that hung beside each sandstone buildings. His large, furnished home sat comfily in one of the more well-off districts in the hot village, almost like a mansion – if one even existed in the village hidden in Wind Country's rough desert.

He sighed disappointedly as he couldn't make out the streets, despite the wavering torches, as the light from the moon and the stars were masked by dark storm clouds that rumbled like giants above the walled-in, sand village. He tightened the belt of his night robe as a small breeze began to stir inside from the small cracks of his window.

"What are you stewing about this late at night, Shika?" A female voice called from behind him.

The tall, cloudy-eyed shinobi raised his head and turned to meet his wife. "You're still awake?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Temari demanded, her calloused hands hanging by her hips. She sent him an impatient glare, which he absorbed aloofly. She tapped a foot on the tiles of their floor, her long night-robe threatening to jerk off. After not getting an answer, the short-haired blonde woman stormed towards him, red-eyed. She hissed quietly, "It is too damn late at night for you to wander out of bed. And I know this isn't the first time you've done it, even after your trip to Sound. I know you're stressed, but you can't just keep it all to yourself!"

"I can't tell you about what I do." Shikamaru looked away, his hands in his pockets, not looking unlike his thirteen year-old self. "I have to, to protect you and Aya."

Suddenly, a baby's cry echoed down the dark hallway. Temari stared at her husband in disgust before pulling up her arms from her hips, tightened her robes to cover her cleavage, and crossed tan arms beneath her chest. Tears began to well at the corners of her sharp, teal eyes. "I can't keep worrying about you like this."

"You don't have to. I can take care of myself."

"You're not _supposed_ to! I'm your wife!"

The tall shinobi walked passed her, avoiding eye contact as his straight, black locks covered his face. "I'll go tuck her in. You should go back to sleep."

"And what happens after that? You'll come back to bed silent, without letting me in? We'll wake up tomorrow and every morning after that unhappy, just going through the motions?"

"At least you'll be safe." Shikamaru's lonely whisper managed to touch her delicate ears as he began to make his way up the stairs to their daughter's room.

Temari turned around to face his back in desperation and motioned to grab his night robe, her short hair beginning to fall wildly from the binds of her hair clips. But something kept her from following through and he kept on walking.

"Stop," she implored, "don't do this to us. Don't do this to me."

"I have to."

An hour after he settled his daughter's whimpering cries, the tall shinobi left his home in haste, wearing his standard Sand combat gear: a bandage tying his long hair back, a mud-coloured flak vest over a black, mesh shirt, dirty combat boots, and camel cargos. He had told his wife that he'd forgotten to contact his team about his mission and needed to meet with them immediately.

"Why can't you do it tomorrow," she had asked him, to which he'd said that debriefing them would help unwind his stress. She had asked him how his team was doing, but had kissed her asleep instead of answering her.

And so he stepped out into the gritty, sandy streets, closing his home's wooden door behind him. He walked down the torch-lit path until he heard an unimpressive bird call. He rolled his eyes and made his way to what sounded like a cross between a dying crow and a female hawk trying to mate.

"What took you so long, you dork?" A sultry, female voice called from behind an alley.

Shikamaru peered around the quiet streets before rounding the corner. As soon as he did, he spotted Ino, who smiled at him in relief. The thin and elegant woman embraced him, her long, blonde hair hung around his chest, smelling like desert berries.

"I was waiting for Temari to sleep." Shikamaru didn't pull away from the long embrace.

"She probably isn't," Ino looked up into the tall shinobi's eyes before tenderly meeting her mouth with his. She released her soft vice around his lips before returning to their embrace. "The last time I saw you was back when you departed for your mission to Sound. I didn't know when you'd come back."

"I'm back." He said, grabbing her arm. "We should go."

She nodded back happily. "You found the Fox?"

"I'll tell you at your place. We can inform the rest of the team tomorrow morning."

Within the span of a second, the two Sand shinobi locked lips before disappearing in a cloud of sand.

* * *

A tall shinobi, whose face was veiled in a blood-covered, white mask, stalked out of a shed in the countryside, under the accusing heat of the sun. The storm the night before had past, as large puddles flooded over the dirt roads. He produced a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped it across his stained face-mask, then dabbed it on stains that began to well on his black attire that bore no apparent allegiance to any country. He looked back into the broken shed and whispered a jutsu to come to life. Within a few seconds, soft flames began to lick the base of the small, wooden shed, then quickly began consuming the little building like a ravenous beast. The man walked away from the burning building as burnt flesh began to invade his nostrils.

The shinobi avoided roads, taking to the forests of the lush, green countryside. The sounds of the forest masked his movements as militia and sirens began to flood the country roads. He ventured deeper and deeper into the dark forest before he stopped at a small, deserted camp–_his_ camp–where enemy ninjas couldn't find him.

Suddenly, a white, throbbing pain wracked his head. A ring of white seals began flashing around the crown and down his neck. He clutched at his hair before falling to the forest floor, writhing in sharp pain.

"_You have been activated."_ A voice spoke in his head. _"Meet me at the eastern Sounds black site in two days."_

"Ossu!" The man yelped to the voice before the pain disappeared as fast as it had come. He quickly stood up, with no wasted movement, and kicked soil into the campfire.

He quickly paced towards a bedroll on a bed of leaves at the base of a tree and sealed it in a scroll. He then reached beneath the bed of leaves and found a blanket camouflaged by the leaves and soil. He pulled it, uncovering a set of kunai and shuriken and wire, along with an assortment of keen blades without tips and a rucksack full of rations and other scrolls. He sealed the weapons in a different scroll and stuffed the scroll into the rucksack.

The tall shinobi equipped the large rucksack before disappearing even deeper into the dark forest.

* * *

Jutsu List:

PSYCHE! I don't think I'll do a jutsu list anymore since I'll pretty much explain them in the story. I might not even use jutsu names to describe techniques depending on the action sequence. It's just my style of writing, really.

Anyways, this chapter was really hard to execute with all the imagery I wanted to get down. I really wanted to paint Danzou and the ROOT Empire a certain way, and sort of re-construct Naruto into a different sort of protagonist (Not different to literature, but different to the type of one-dimensional characters you'd typically see in most fanfics).

Please R & R!


End file.
